Toy figures have always been the mainstay as a toy for young children. There have been numerous varieties of figures from no interaction to fully interactive figures. There exist figures that speak, cry, sing and laugh in response to a child touching or squeezing various parts of the figure, as well as figures that walk and crawl. However, there are always a continual need for improvements and new and novel features.
There is herein described and illustrated a unique animated figure that is hinged at the waist. The hinged waist permits the figure to pivot or move the top half of the body relative to the bottom half. A control mechanism controls the movement in such a manner that the figure will move from a standing and upright position through a forward somersault ending back in a standing and upright position. In other embodiments the control mechanism can stop the movement or pose the figure in a position, such as a xe2x80x9cheadstandxe2x80x9d or a position prior to a headstand. When the figure stops the movement prior to a headstand, the figure can prompt a user to assist the figure in completing the headstand. When the user helps the figure in completing the headstand, the figure could continue to perform a somersault or flip over.